The present invention pertains to refrigerators and, more particularly, to a door-ajar switch for a refrigerator.
Typically, a refrigerator has a fresh food compartment and a freezer compartment, each compartment selectively sealed by a door mounted on a hinge. If either door remains open for a predetermined period a time, an audible or visual alarm is triggered to warn the user of this condition. This prevents a situation in which either: 1) an excessive amount of energy is required to maintain the relevant compartment at an appropriate temperature; or 2) the refrigerator is unable to maintain the relevant compartment at the appropriate temperature, thereby leading to spoilage of food located therein. In general, the predetermined period of time before the alarm is triggered is preferably sufficiently long so as not to annoy a user but sufficiently short that excessive energy use and undesirable temperature conditions are avoided.
Additionally, a refrigerator can include one or more dampers or a damping system, which absorb energy to reduce the speed at which the doors close in order to prevent the doors from slamming shut. Beyond providing an improved user experience, this also reduces mechanical stress on the components of the refrigerator. As the door-ajar and damping systems are usually provided as separate components of the refrigerator, the cost and complexity of manufacturing the refrigerator are increased. Also, from the perspective of the user, the overall visual impact of the distinct systems is increased.